Showbiz In India: Bollywood Shifting At Home & Abroad; Will Talent Cross Over?

This is the latest in Deadline’s series of reports on the people, projects and polemics that have folks buzzing in various overseas territories.

The International Indian Film Academy Awards just announced the event will travel to the U.S. for the first time next year, settling in Tampa, Florida in June. The move is one that’s likely to up the profile of Indian cinema Stateside where Bollywood isn’t typically top of mind among moviegoers. But heat on Indian cinema and talent is growing with movies like Yeh Jawaani Hai Dawaani, actors like Ranbir Kapoor and multi-hyphenates like Anurag Kashyap making waves. A question remains, however, on how closely the twains of Hollywood and Bollywood can ever meet.

India celebrated the 100th birthday of Hindi cinema in Cannes in May, turning a spotlight on the industry. Then last month, romcom Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewanibroke into the U.S. top ten upon release. The film’s success at home and abroad was partly because it’s the kind of “mushy romance we hadn’t seen in a while,” a producer who works in India and the UK tells me. Star Ranbir Kapoor is one of Bollywood’s hottest actors right now, also a key factor in Yeh Jawaani‘s success. He hails from a showbiz family and studied at the Lee Strasberg school in New York. With a sort of Ryan Gosling look, Kapoor is “the next one to be considered the Shah Rukh Khan-level mega-star” in India, a studio exec says.

Fanning the flames, Kapoor just won the best actor prize for 2012’s Barfi! at the Indian Film Academy Awards which were held this weekend in Macau. The romantic comedy was India’s 2012 Oscar entry. (Its title may be unappetizing to American ears – it’s the lead character’s name and also a condensed milk-based sweet – but it was one of Bollywood’s highest-grossing films of the year.) It also won several prizes at January’s Filmfare Awards including top picture and actor; Kapoor played a deaf-mute man involved with two women.

Recent Comments

Here is an interesting quote from the Imdb.com website. “Shakespeare and Bollywood cinema had something in common....

PC

2 years

Hi James... Who are you referring to ? Is it Aditya Chopra and Karan Johar as "nepotistic,...

Jack

2 years

Why in the world would anyone want anything to cross over. Money aside. Let Bollywood make bollywood...

Kapoor’s Yeh Jawaani co-star Deepika Padukone is next up in Chennai Express. Padukone is an established actress who broke out in 2007’s Om Shanti Om. Chennai Express has the distinction of going out on August 8, the eve of India’s Eid al Fitr holiday. Beginning in 2008, films toplined by Indian superstar Salman Khan staked a claim on the Eid holiday which celebrates the end of Ramadan. With Khan’s next big production, Mental, not releasing until the January Republic Day weekend, the Eid spot is ripe for another comer with big box office potential. Conventional wisdom says it will be Chennai Express. (Chennai Express, like Yeh Jawaani, hails from UTV in which Disney has a strategic stake.) The love story cum road movie is directed by Rohit Shetty (the Golmaal franchise, Bol Bachchan) and, with Padukone, stars the iconic screen giant Shah Rukh Khan, making it one to watch. If Chennai follows Yeh Jawaani‘s path, Khan should be happy. He has said that his dedication is to getting Indian films seen by the world rather than having his own career in Hollywood.

It’s an interesting proposal. India’s massive territory produces some 1,500 films a year and has a powerful indigenous market where local share can be as high as 90%. This helps explain why there are not many so-called cross-over actors. People I’ve spoken to believe that’s because the talent is so happy at home. One India-watcher tells me they don’t think it’s often the goal of Bollywood stars to head to Hollywood given “the level of stardom, creative freedom, accolade and money that they get in India.” A producer suggests the same thing: “It’s about whether they want to cross over or not.” Carrying the torch to some degree, Irrfan Khan, of Life Of Pi fame, comfortably works across the continents as has Anil Kapoor, a star at home where he’s shooting a local version of 24 after having played a role in the Fox show’s last season in the U.S. Both Khan and Kapoor were heavily featured in Slumdog Millionaire.

Still, along with Ranbir Kapoor, other names I hear talked about who are established at home and have the potential for Hollywood careers should they seek them are Hrithik Roshan who’s got sci-fi superhero pic Krrish 3 coming up. He’s a bona fide star at home – and in the UK where his wax likeness stands at Madame Tussaud’s – and is managed by Brillstein Partners. Others include Saif Ali Khan who this year starred in and produced India’s first zombie pic Go Goa Gone; Priyanka Chopra whose credits include Barfi!, Shootout At Wadala and Krrish 3; Vidya Balan who won the Indian Film Academy prize for Best Actress this weekend for Kahani; and the aforementioned Deepika Padukone.

For his part, Ranbir Kapoor next stars in Bombay Velvet, the first part of a trilogy about the evolution of Bombay (now Mumbai) beginning in the 1950s, which is co-produced by Fox‘s Fox Star Studios. The joint venture is currently involved in eight local films per year and notably backed 2012’s My Name Is Khan, one of the biggest internationally successful Indian films of all time. Bombay Velvet is directed by Anurag Kashyap – a multi-hyphenate who is part of a new breed of Indian filmmaker who doesn’t work solely in the candy-colored musical flourish Westerners associate with Bollywood. His films as director, writer and/or producer include Black Friday, No Smoking, Gangs Of Wasseypur, Ugly, Bombay Talkies, Udaan, Monsoon Shootout, Lootera and The Lunchbox which Sony Pictures Classics acquired out of Cannes’ Critics’ Week. Bombay Velvet, which releases on December 25, 2014, is intended as a mainstream Bollywood film. “With this film [Kashyap] isn’t trying to move away from traditional Bollywood commercial cinema,” I’m told by an insider who believes “it’s really two very different kinds of films made specifically with the goals of each in mind.”

Even if Hollywood isn’t the Holy Grail for these actors or directors, it will be interesting to see if any pop up in U.S. movies more quickly than it took Indian legend Amitabh Bachchan. The 70-year-old, who’s made more than 180 films at home and is a national treasure, just had his Hollywood debut with Baz Luhrmann’s The Great Gatsby; and he’s said he’d do more if offered the chance. He was in Cannes this year with Gatsby and to participate in the Bollywood birthday celebration. In one kind of cross-over at least, Cannes jury president Steven Spielberg earlier spent time with the actor on a swing through Mumbai in March. There it was revealed that DreamWorks is eyeing an India-set movie with its partners Reliance Entertainment…

27 Comments

jugdish • on Jul 7, 2013 3:55 pm

If american studios had any brains- they’d put one of these Bollywood stars in one of their upcoming films in a supporting role. Its easy money.. think about this – there are over 5 million Indian & Pakistanis in the U.S. – they would go to see one of their stars in a heartbeat. Heck- if half of them went- that’s another $25,000,000 to the gross. If Stallone had Shah Rukh Khan or Hrithik Roshan in one of his Expendable films- it would be a global money maker. Instead, we get Chuck Norris and his hairhat walking around shooting people . These guys are good looking and speak english quite well. I don’t get it. I know that Priyaka Chopra has a speaking role in Disney’s Planes, but they need to do better than that.

Amit • on Jul 7, 2013 3:55 pm

To be fair though, we had Aishwarya Rai Bachchan in the Pink Panther sequel and that still failed spectacularly.

BeingHonest • on Jul 7, 2013 3:55 pm

Nit to mention Anil Kapoor, the worst thing to happen to the Mission Impossible series

Girish • on Jul 7, 2013 3:55 pm

Its always about the star + concept. Put Robert Downey Jr in Iron Man/Avengers or a similar intelligent, quirky character in Sherlock Holmes and he’s a heavy box-office draw. Put him in The Soloist and it’d be lucky to recover its production budget.

Roy Freirich • on Jul 7, 2013 3:55 pm

Or vice versa. Upcoming “Basmati Blues” with Brie Larson…

Duh • on Jul 7, 2013 3:55 pm

Indian entertainment going global is a no-brainier. Production companies & studios should be looking for opportunities to play in that golden sandbox.

Ellen • on Jul 7, 2013 3:55 pm

A few years ago I would have pegged Saif Ali Khan as the Bollywood Star Most Likely To, but he’s perhaps passed his sell-by date. He always struck me as the perfect combination of looks, charisma, acting chops and excellent comic timing.

I just directed an American/Bollywood crossover film, DESIRES OF THE HEART, and I walked away really impressed with the capabilities of the Bollywood crew that we brought in from Mumbai. They’re quick, capable and extremely hard working. Because shooting in India is cheaper (though equipment costs are comparable), it allows your dollars to stretch further. I think the key to international success in the 21st century is to develop properties that appeal both to eastern and western sensibilities, a difficult task given the differences in culture.

Makes Sense • on Jul 7, 2013 3:55 pm

Hollywood studios have been making inroads in Bollywood for a while. Now that they have a presence over there, they need to start thinking outside the box. Lots of money to be made in that arena.

Just Asking • on Jul 7, 2013 3:55 pm

Because of its great numbers, apparently nobody’s allowed to point out that “Barfi” and most of the rest of Bollywood’s 100 year old film industry product is unwatchable dreck. Is this the Tyler Perry rule again?

dof • on Jul 7, 2013 3:55 pm

As an Indian-American, I think “unwatchable dreck” is being too kind.

StillHonest • on Jul 7, 2013 3:55 pm

I second that…

Sad But True • on Jul 7, 2013 3:55 pm

There is no doubt that many of the actors are very talented. But in general I wouldn’t touch the writers or directors with a ten-foot pole.

The best Indian films have not been made in the Bollywood system but rather have been made by Indian expats or Danny Boyle.

Ripsnorter • on Jul 7, 2013 3:55 pm

A European friend / industry colleague of mine is very involved with Bollywood product. He invited me to accompany him to a screening. It was over three hours of unwatchable, below bargain basement Bingy-Bongy-WTF??!! He’ll get back to me, I’m sure, insisting I must watch X or Y to truly appreciate this great country’s yadda yadda yadda. No, Lionel (Name changed to allow him just a bit of dignity), you got me that one time, never again.

GK • on Jul 7, 2013 3:55 pm

As an Indian (and one who learnt Hindi after learning 2 other languages), I take great offense with that. Just because you have only seen the glamorous side of Bollywood “dreck” doesn’t mean we haven’t produced the greatest movies this world has ever seen. They just get sidelined into obscurity because of Bollywood’s greed. I’m 23 and every great Indian movie I have seen in my life is, at the very least, a decade or two old. Hell, I keep hoping that filmmakers learn from the past rather than the present. The present generation of actors are highly talented, but Bollywood and its ilk are actually harming the entire movie industry of India.

I spent years and a lot of money trying to make Indian cinema cross over. Never the twain shall meet… Or at least never for now. As the Chinese head of a German multinational company in China said to me the other day, “China and India are faking it.” When they stop faking it and get real with speaking our entertainment idiom is when we might see some progress. And those nepotistic, arrogant Punjabis in charge of Bollywood need to radically change their attitudes.

PC • on Jul 7, 2013 3:55 pm

Hi James… Who are you referring to ? Is it Aditya Chopra and Karan Johar as “nepotistic, arrogant” punjabis. I am quite sure you are talking about them.

Peggy • on Jul 7, 2013 3:55 pm

If those actors can pass for white I’m sure they’ll do fine. (Which is a requirement in Bollywood anyway) Otherwise Hollywood won’t touch them.

sid • on Jul 7, 2013 3:55 pm

Unfortunately, quite true. They are whitewashed.

ravi • on Jul 7, 2013 3:55 pm

Generally Bollywood movies are pure pop trash. Granted somewhat of an oversimplification. But watch any Bollywood movie on Netflix or rent one or at the theater and try to endure for 3 hours. It’s the same repetitive storyline. It seems we’ve lost our sensibilities for making good movies (exceptions exist). I watch them with my wife simply because the women are beautiful but as for engaging stories, no thanks. I would rather watch an Asian, European, south American, Mexican, or any other ethnic film over an Indian Bollywood film any day. Although I do seem to be the exception.

mp • on Jul 7, 2013 3:55 pm

I agree that a lot of mainstream Bollywood films don’t translate to Western audiences. But I would argue most of what mainstream Hollywood produces is also “unwatchable dreck” (“Grown Ups 2″ or “The Lone Ranger” case in point…). But a “New Wave” of Indian independent cinema has been building for the past decade outside the traditional Bollywood format. Films like the upcoming “Ship of Theseus” or films like “Dhobi Ghat,” “Bombay Summer,” (both on Netflix), or “Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara” (India’s answer to the Hangover, which is so much better…) are proof of exciting new voices in Indian cinema that could and should play in any art house worldwide. Cannes, Toronto, and Berlin have all been well aware of these films and directors. If you can, check these films out and films like them to get another viewpoint on “Bollywood.”

On a secondary note, Bollywood “crossed over” a long time ago. America used to be unrivaled as the world’s biggest exporter of popular culture in the form of music and movies (and to a fair degree still is.) But if you travel to most places in the world, Bollywood films are the current cultural signpost. Most Americans have no idea who Shah Rukh Khan or Amitabh Bachchan are, but across Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and Eastern Europe these actors are mobbed the second they set foot there. Russians and Somalis alike sing Bollywood tunes that are as familiar to them as anything in their own native language would be.

The bigger question is why should Bollywood really care about Hollywood? Hollywood movies make their money overseas already and are funded in large part by media companies in India and China. The next decade will see Hollywood having to adapt and compete more and more with local films in individual countries. Bollywood doesn’t so much need an American audience as Hollywood needs an international one.

mkl • on Jul 7, 2013 3:55 pm

Just, ‘no’. But good try.

yob • on Jul 7, 2013 3:55 pm

Remember Satyajit Ray? He was cool.

Jack • on Jul 7, 2013 3:55 pm

Why in the world would anyone want anything to cross over. Money aside. Let Bollywood make bollywood movies and Hollywood make hollywood movies. Otherwise we end up with homogenized bullshit that takes the fun out of both.

Here is an interesting quote from the Imdb.com website.
“Shakespeare and Bollywood cinema had something in common. And what they had in common was the blindness to taste or style or any of those imposed ideals about art. What they were singularly focused on was the engagement of as many human beings as possible, from as many types of humanity, to be moved and touched by story, to deliver a big idea. A big idea through an emotional experience”. (The Story of Film: An Odyssey, Episode #1.14 (2011)).
You may not like the kind of films Bollywood does but billions of other people on the planet do. I find many Bollywood films a wonderful change from Hollywood. The majority of Hindi commercial films are wholesome so families watching together don’t have to see something inappropriate